Danny glared blearily as the Box Ghost, "Dude. I know it's Halloween season. Still!"
He's been up almost all week chasing away ghosts that came to Amity Park. He could hardly even sleep. His friends could only help here and there but Tucker's dad needed him at home to help with his grandmother and Danny kept making excuses to avoid spending time with Sam. She did help him but he only interact with her at school. He knew that this was getting on Tucker's nerves and Sam was growing short with both of them because of Danny.
The Box Ghost whimpered at Danny growled at him, practically foaming at the mouth from stress. Danny raised the Dispenser with a glare, "Come inside yourself or else. I'm not playing,"
Worse of all, he thought at the annoying ghost surrendered into the Dispenser, worse of all was that he haven't had Elsa's cookies and tea for two weeks straight. He's feeling guilty that she had to do his part on their project too. Not to mention, he couldn't take her to Frostbite to train with him being so busy around the clock.
He used to like Halloween.
Now he just want to sleep.
He shifted just a red blast flew by his pointed ear. He let out a tired groan, "Red Huntress...don't you have senior year's project to finish?"
Valerie, dressed as the Red Huntress, glared from behind her visor, "What would a ghost like you know about being a student?"
He twisted out of her shot, "Seriously? Have you looked at me? I freaking died when I was 14!"
She scoffed, "You are not getting any sympathy from me, spook!"
Danny sighed as he flew away from her. Why did he liked her in the first place again? For that matter, why did they dated again? He must had lost a few brain cells from all the fights when he dated her as Fenton. He grumbled as he tried to lose her but she was persistent. Too tired, he argued, "You are so annoying!"
She tried to ram him with her hoverboard, "You existing is annoying!"
Danny growled as he flew higher, "You know what, Red? Screw you! You are the most hypocritical person I have ever known! You think you're doing good? Huh?! You are not defending anything but your ego and your stupid pride!"
She snarled, "Shut up! You stupid ghost ruined my life!"
He rolled his eyes as he raised his shield, "There you go again. The one that ruined their own life is you! You and your stupid grudge and your stupid pride!" He slapped away another one of her red shot with his bare hand, too angry to realized what he had done as he faced her, starry fogs coming out the corner of his eyes, "You think that Cujo want to die?! He didn't! He came back for his stupid toy! That is all the reason why he was even there that night!" He growled as used his telekinesis to stop her from moving, "I am tired of your bullshit, Red! You might be out of that shallow group you were once part of but you are still as shallow as ever! You only see your own hurt! You always talked big about protecting Amity Park from ghost! Shut up!"
He snarled into her face, frost covering her armor as the temperature continued to drop, a ghostly shadow floated over his head, unnoticed by him as he continued to rant, "You don't care about anyone but yourself. You're only miserable because you can't afford to be a party girl anymore. You're just bitter that you have to grow up and leave that naive lifestyle behind. You are not hunting and fighting me for anyone. You are not hero and you are not protector. You are just pretender. You're the worse kind 'good' because you're not even that great,"
Her high-tech armor and hoverboard short circuited from the frigid temperature that Danny was giving out. He let her hoverboard fall and he can taste her fear. She was only floating because of his control. Danny stared into her wide eyes, "If I really am a monster, all I need to do, Red, was fight back. Killing you would be so easy. I never did and you never noticed," He flew back down before she could suffocate from her failing suite. Upon reaching a roof, he dropped her and sneered, "Hero? You're nothing more a villain wearing the face of one,"
She wrenched the helmet off, revealing her identity and coughed for oxygen. She glared at him, "Finally showing who you really are, huh, Phantom?"
Danny tilted his head before sighing, "Everyone die. You will die one day too...and because you keep getting in the way of ghosts, do you honestly you won't become one yourself one day from how much ectoplasm you exposed yourself to?" He snorted, "A ghost hunter that became a ghost because she's obsessed with ridding the world of the dead. The irony. I guess you'll become a monster yourself one day too,"
He disappeared from sight and returned to chasing away more trouble making ghosts. He sighed as he grabbed a blob and chewed on it. He finally did it. He had been holding it back from Valerie ever since he realized that she would never change her view. But that evening, he was too tired to hold back and he was at his wits end. She kept blaming ghosts for all the way her life had gone down. But she was still alive, still have a chance to turn it around. Instead she channeled all her injured pride on ghosts, using her hunting as a way to misplace her aggression. She might think he didn't notice it but he did. He was like that too but at least it was because the ghosts were the reason behind all his problems.
His dropping grade.
His shattered sleep cycle.
His uncertain future.
Danny landed on a roof and glared at Vlad's mansion. The man had been quiet and Danny didn't like that. For some reason, his protective instinct had gone overdrive and it had caused him to chase all the ghosts out of Amity Park. Either back into the Ghost Zone or out of town. The only one he did not do anything about was Vlad and only because it will cause him greater problem if he tried.
"Oh my. What is a handsome ghost like you doing on a roof like this?"
Danny rolled his eyes and glared at Desiree, "What do you want?"
Desiree licked her lips, "Is that really you, ghost boy? I must say, growing into your power is really doing you wonder, doesn't it?"
Danny groaned, "Desiree...if you don't have anything important to say, just shut up and get in the Dispenser. You already ruined my love life as it is,"
She scowled, "Ruined it? It was bound to be ruined anyway, even without my interference! Unintentional interference!" She stressed. She then add, "It had been the most bizarre thing to see you holding hands and kissing that little murderer,"
Danny snarled, "Don't call her that!"
Desiree looked at him, unimpressed by his temper, "Call her what? What she really is? I had been murdered, ghost boy. I could hardly stand the thought of her, let alone the sight of her. You are a kinder ghost than I am. The moment I had enough strength, I systematically drove her insane and convinced her to take her own life with her own hands. Then I drove the rest of her kin into ruin. Only when there was none of her blood left alive did my pain settle. Even so, it was already too late. I am a ghost of wishes and here I will remain,"
Danny sighed, "What do you want?"
Desiree looked at him, "Did you not wonder why ghosts all over are reacting to your growth? You are thriving into the most attractive ghost. You are strong, powerful, and you are beautiful to behold," She eyed him in a way that make him squirm, "The fact that you are a true Halfa, unlike Plasmius, made you all the more attractive. Anyone that could Bond with you will be seen as a winner in the Ghost Zone,"
He grabbed her hand before she could touch him, freezing the part that he touched. Desiree hissed but the lust in her gaze only grew, "So fierce. So powerful. Oh how I yearn for you," She purred as she tried to pull him closer to her. Danny's eyes widened as her face came close to his.
She was sucked into the Dispenser in his free hand before she could do anything more.
He laid flat on his back, switching back to Fenton as he did.
He groaned as he rubbed his face and furiously scratched at his head, "What in the fudge muffin was that?!"
"Well, that was interesting,"
Danny sat up but the speed of him sitting caused his head to swim so he ended up lying back down. He groaned, "Ugh. What do you want, fruitloop?"
Plasmius switched back to Masters and Vlad sat beside him, "I did not come to cause trouble,"
Danny glared, "Please excuse me if I don't believe that,"
Vlad pulled a face, "I am not dumb to fight someone that kept getting visits from the likes of the ghosts that owned doors and survive,"
Danny frowned, "You get visits too?"
Vlad sighed, "I did. Once. And once was enough to convince me that dealing with them was not worth my life and fortunately enough, they spared me because I was just not worth it," He looked at Danny, "Honestly, little badger, how did you keep surviving them was beyond me. I was sure you would die when the first one showed up. The explosion of power wasn't something I'll forget anytime soon,"
Danny studied the man. One thing about Vlad was that the man knew his limitations well. He was curious though, "Why would them visiting me caused you to back off?"
Vlad looked at him in disbelief, "Daniel ("It's Danny"), they put their claim on you as when you survived them, you earned their respect. If I try anything with you, they will tear me apart and scatter my limbs to Ancients know where. I am a survivor, not a suicidal idiot," He gestured, "Why do you think my attacks on you were nothing more child's play these days. I couldn't be serious. You have enough strength to make them back off when you really let go. Do you honestly think that I, with my proven limit, can challenge that?"
Danny quirked a brow, "So are you going to stop creeping on my mom?"
Vlad sneered, "Your mother is part of my Obsession, I'm afraid. There is little I can do about that. The most I can do is not attack that buffoon you call father," He looked at Danny, "However...should you ever need a place to hide from them, my door is open,"
Danny scowled at the offer, mumbling, "I know better than to go to you,"
Hair like white flames, skin green from death, eyes blazing red...
"I am inevitable!!"
He blinked away the hulking monster of his despair away from his eyes. He then looked at Vlad, "Do you know why the female ghosts are acting weird?"
Vlad rolled his eyes, "You are akin to a heartthrob celebrity in the Ghost Zone at the moment. If you don't find a lair or something to Bond with, they will keep chasing you," He stood up and transformed, "Basically, you are a the ghost's version of Most Wanted Bachelor,"
Danny gagged, "I'm a minor!"
Vlad raised a brow, "And they are dead. Age mean nothing to them,"
With that, the jerk flew off. Danny slumped on the room, wondering just what was going on with him. The frigid fury he felt when Valerie chased him was both familiar and not. Now that he's calmer, he was a little shocked by his death threat towards Valerie. He wondered, "...am I becoming...him?"
But that cannot be it. He existed because of Danny's despair and Vlad's inherent darkness being combined into one. Thinking back, he had wondered by He was so intent at destroying everything. It took him months to realized that He was just doing what his Obsession demanded of Him. Protect. Except instead of like Danny who Protected others, He was just Protecting Himself from further harm.
When he ran it by Frostbite, the Yeti called it Twisted Obsession. It was what happened when the reason the Obsession existed disappeared or destroyed. The ghost will either turn on their own selves or...cease existing. A state that all ghosts knew could happen and did everything to avoid.
He coughed out ice and groaned as he transformed, "Damn Halloween,"
When he reached the graveyard, he found a group of people doing some stupid ritual. He stared at the sight for a moment before flying to the nearest police car. He flew beside the patrol car, taking the officers inside by surprise. Danny waved as they slowed to stop, "Hi. Cult. Graveyard. I'll leave the humans to you. I don't know what they're summoning but I don't want to deal with it,"
The officer on the steering groaned, "Damn Goths,"
His partner smiled at Danny, "Show the way, Phantom,"
Danny shrugged and started flying, exuding more of his ghost light to act like a beacon. He will have to be fast with this. He can hear the GIW's scanner beeping about a powerful ghost in his general direction. Grumbling in Ghost Speak, he sped up towards the graveyard. He came just in time to hear someone tried summoning the Ghost King. Alarmed and furious, he blew wind to destroy their summoning array, freezing the ground.
They looked up to see him scowling down at them, "Seriously? You want the Conqueror to come and invade Amity Park...again? If you managed that, I'll leave you idiots to join his army of skeletons," He shook his head as the police arrived. A few tried to scatter but he glued their feet to the ground, slowing them down enough for the police to see their face. He huffed, "Idiots,"
His ear twitched at the more annoying sound of GIW's siren. He looked at the officers, "I'll leave them to you," He noticed a book on the ground that looked ominous enough. Grabbing that, he flew off, ignoring the indignant cry of someone who must have started the whole nonsense.
Who cares that he paid a fortune for the text?
Danny did not need another 'gate to hell' nonsense going on in Amity Park. Especially not on Halloween. Flying high into space, he shot towards the sun and threw the damn book there. Nothing will be able to get that back. When he flew back down, it was almost midnight and his house was empty. His parents were out for some kind of ghost hunters gathering or something.
He didn't feel like sleeping in an empty house.
As he floated away, he found himself floating before a familiar set of doors. He blinked as he phased himself through and found Elsa sleeping peacefully on her bed. The damn book they were supposed to be working on lying face down beside her. Now that he looked around, she must have fallen asleep while working on their project. Feeling guilty, he decided to take care of her.
First, he turned off the lights. Then, marked the page she read with the page marker she used and put it aside. That done, he phased her blanket over her and covered her properly. She sighed, saying something in her mother tongue before settling back to rest. Danny smiled at the sight.
He floated there, watching her sleep for a moment.
It felt like forever since he last spent time with Elsa. Duty kept calling and he kept having to rain check with her. He's tired, he thought as he switched to Fenton. He knelt on the floor and rest his chin on her bed to watch her. Elsa was just so...serene, like the moon. In fact, the moon seemed to make her glow like an ethereal being. Danny had always loved the moon more than the sun.
The moon lets him see the stars. The sun hid them and hurt his eyes.
He yawned as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier...
He drew in a sharp breathe at the feel of a familiar cool touch shaking him awake. He blinked heavy eyes to find Elsa waking him up. He smiled and sleepily greeted her, "Hey, snow cheeks,"
She blinked at his nickname for her. She then informed him, "You are lucky today is the weekend. It's already noon," She sit back on her bed, tilting her head, "Don't your knees hurt from sleeping like that?" She then gestured at his pocket, "Also, your phone has been ringing incessantly,"
Danny groaned, falling on his back and feeling the pins and needles as his blood rush back into his slept legs. He dug out his phone and groaned, answering the still buzzing phone, "Hey Jazz,"
{Don't 'hey Jazz' me! Are you alright?! I called Tucker but he said you refused to come to his place because of his grandma. I called Sam and she said that for whatever reason, you acted like going to her house is torture so obviously you're not there. I even called Valerie and she said that you hardly talk to her anymore, let alone visit her. You're not in your room either. I'm here, FYI. So where are you?!} She added, {I am this close at throwing the Boo-merang so you better tell me the truth, little brother!} She knew how much he hated that thing, no matter how useful it was at finding him in an emergency.
Honestly, it kept hitting him in the same spot on his skull. He swore that he have a permanent indent there from all the time it hit him.
Danny looked at Elsa, knowing that she heard all that with the volume Jazz was panicking with. She simply nod and he sighed, "I'm at Elsa's,"
{...what? Why would you be there?}
He grinned, {She bake killer cookies}
Elsa sniffed, looking away from his unexpected compliment of her baking skills. But the blush on her cheeks and ears told him that she was pleased by his acknowledgement.
{...Daniel Vladimir Fenton...}
Danny rolled his eyes at his full name, "I'm tired, Jazz. I don't want to sleep in an empty building that literally have a portal to Death Wonderland in the basement. Excuse me for looking for a place where I feel safe to just sleep like the dead that I am,"
{...where are you?}
Danny repeated, "Elsa's,"
{And where is that?}
He looked at Elsa, "Can my sister come over?"
She answered, "She can stay for lunch,"
Danny smiled, "Thanks. You heard her. I'll send you the address,"
{Danny-!}
He cut the call and sent the address through mail before lying back down on the floor. He looked at Elsa and grimaced, "Sorry for dropping in unannounced. Yesterday was a little crazier than usual,"
Elsa hummed, "I see. Matthias already put aside some fresh clothes for you and new toiletries for your use. I will downstairs in case your sister arrive while you're still in the bathroom,"
Danny blushed, "...thanks, Elsa,"
Elsa stood up, "Think nothing of it. You are my guest,"
With that, she stepped out of her bedroom. Danny sat up, still feeling sore from the waist down. He stretched his arms and roamed his eyes around her room. He quickly found the familiar wicker basket full of all the necessary things she had promised him. Taking that up, he stepped into her bathroom and washed. It took him a moment but he blushed when he realized that this was the second time he's using Elsa's bathroom. He groaned, feeling awkward. It would be one thing if he's her boyfriend but he's not. He washed his hair, "What am I doing?"
What did he even want?
Elsa had been nothing but kind, he shouldn't be taking advantage of her. Sure, she's a good friend to him. In fact, oddly enough, he's closer to her than the friends he grew up with. That had been a shocking realization when Tucker randomly brought it up last week. Danny didn't know how to explain besides saying that she's kind. He didn't know how to explain this sudden fierce need to protect her or his constant thought turning to her whenever he saw something.
He's not...in love with Elsa...was he?